Sen. Cruz: ‘This Is a Crisis and Unfortunately, This Is a Man-Made Crisis’

HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday toured the Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center, the largest immigration processing center in the United States, to see firsthand the escalating humanitarian and security crisis occurring at the Texas-Mexico border. Following the tour, Sen. Cruz received an operational briefing with RGV Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch and Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero at the McAllen Border Patrol Station and traveled to "Rincon Village," ground zero for undocumented border crossings located near Mission, Texas. There, he participated in a ‘Border Safety Initiative' event, which highlighted the RGV Sector Border Patrol's efforts to save lives in the harsh terrain of the Rio Grande Valley. Sen. Cruz then concluded his tour with an aerial overview of the Rio Grande Valley with CBP Air and Marine Operations.

Several news outlets covered Sen. Cruz's remarks at the ‘Border Safety Initiative' event. Selected news coverage is below:

Independent Journal Review: Cruz Calls Out Congress for Refusing to Change Asylum Laws That Put ‘Children at Risk': ‘It Is Not Humane'
"Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called out his colleagues in Congress for failing to close asylum loopholes that put migrant families at risk. During a press conference from the border on Monday, Cruz outlined the treacherous journey that migrants from Central America take as they head to the United States. He called out Congress for refusing to come together to address some of the asylum loopholes that encourage families to make the journey. ‘This is a crisis - and unfortunately, this is a man-made crisis. The responsibility for this crisis lies directly on the United States Congress. On loopholes that Congress has put into law that are encouraging far too many people to make this arduous journey. Today, a group of reporters walked one mile in the blazing sun with water, with medical assistance if we needed it. Now, imagine doing that if you were a 4-year-old child. Imagine doing that if you were a woman eight months pregnant. Our policies - the loopholes that Congress has put in place - [are] encouraging people to risk their lives.' Cruz noted that roughly 50 percent of the adult men currently being apprehended at the southern border are traveling with children. The senator noted that children are being used as a ‘get out of jail free card' for adults who know they will be released if they are traveling with migrants."

Townhall: Sen. Ted Cruz At The Southern Border: 'We Oughta Be Angry At Politicians That Wash Their Hands Of This Problem'
"During a press conference on Monday Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for congressional action to solve the ongoing crisis at America's southern border. ‘This is a crisis. And unfortunately, this is a man-made crisis. The responsibility for this crisis lies directly on the United States Congress, on loopholes that Congress has put into law that are encouraging far too many people to make this arduous journey,' the senator declared. He noted that the number of single men arriving with children has skyrocketed since 2014. The current system rewards those who bring children, so people exploit that loophole-and Sen. Cruz blames Congress: ‘Earlier today I visited the Central Processing Center here in the valley, visited the McAllen headquarters. One of the more disturbing figures that I heard from the chief is in 2014, not too many years ago, of the adult men crossing illegally into this country roughly one percent had a child with them. Today roughly fifty percent of the adult men crossing into the Rio Grande sector have a child with them.'"

WOAI: Senator Cruz Travels To Border, Blasts Congress For Crisis
"U.S. Senator Ted Cruz traveled to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas today to get a look at issues facing border patrol agents, as an influx of migrants continues. Cruz blamed the crisis on Congress and on loopholes in immigration policies that he says encourage migrants to try to make the journey across the border."

KTRH: Cruz Blasts Dems, Congress Over Border Crisis
"Sen. Ted Cruz is calling out his colleagues in Congress for failing to close asylum loopholes that put migrant families at risk. After touring the Central Processing Center along the Texas-Mexico border, Cruz blasted Congress for allowing children to be used as a ‘get out of jail free card' for adults claiming asylum. ‘They take a child that is not theirs, and you combine that with a legal system that says if you have a child you get let go. We are putting children in a position to be horribly abused. That's wrong. That is immoral,' he said Monday. ‘The responsibility for this crisis lies directly on the United States Congress. On loopholes that Congress has put into law that are encouraging far too many people to make arduous journey.' Cruz also took aim at Democrats for using the crisis for political gain. ‘For all the political rhetoric about cages, that Central Processing facility was built in 2014 under President Obama, I toured it before it opened,' he said. ‘It was built because we saw then a flood of unaccompanied children coming in, that flood has gotten worse.'"

KLST: (VIDEO) Sen. Cruz Visits Border
"Senator Ted Cruz spent a portion of the day at the Texas-Mexico border. After touring the Rio Grande Valley centralized processing center, which is the largest immigration processing center in the United States. He received an operations briefing at the center. Following the event, Senator Cruz said what is happening is an absolute humanitarian crisis on the border. He blamed the crisis on the United State Congress, saying they created loopholes that help illegal immigration. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) Texas, ‘Nobody who is compassionate, nobody who is virtuous, nobody who gives a damn about human beings would want even a single day to perpetuate these loopholes and put more children in harm's way. We ought to be angry. We ought to be angry at politicians that wash their hands of this problem.' He also travelled to Rincon Village, which is considered ground zero for undocumented border crossings."

KOSA: (VIDEO) Sen. Cruz Visits Border Facilities
"U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas stopped by the Rio Grande valley processing center, which is said to be the largest immigration processing center in the United States. The Republican Senator received an operational briefing with Border Patrol officials about the influx of people crossing illegally. Later in the day, Senator Cruz traveled to Rincon Village, which is said to be ground zero for undocumented border crossings near Mission in south Texas. There, he was part of a border safety mission event which highlighted border patrol's efforts to save lives. The U.S. Senator says there is a humanitarian crisis which he blames on Congress, saying they created loopholes that help illegal immigration. ‘It is an incentive from the United States Congress ‘go and find a small child and take that arduous journey risk that child's life' and I'll tell you far too many of those children face physical abuse, they faced sexual abuse, they face neglect. And a growing problem we're seeing is fraudulent family.' Now after this event Senator Cruz reiterated that there is a humanitarian crisis here at the border."

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